Athens grad fighting rare cancer puts together 5K to raise donations for research

The Humprey family. Andrea, Logan (the baby), Ryan and Landon (the toddler). Ryan Humphrey is battling a rare form of cancer called Angiosarcoma and is raising money and awareness for the disease by holding a 5K Road Race & Walk being held this Saturday at Troy Athens High School.

Troy Athens High School graduate Ryan Humphrey is a fighter and he is determined to make a difference.

Humphrey, who graduated in 2000 and now lives in Grand Ledge, has angiosarcoma, a rare, aggressive form of soft tissue sarcoma that can arise in any anatomic location. They account for less than 1 percent of soft tissue sarcomas, which in turn account for 1 percent of adult solid malignancies, according to Angiosarcoma Awareness.

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A husband and father of two young boys, Landon and Logan, Humphrey said that despite the disease, his life is “wonderful.” Now he’s working to give back through an Angiosarcoma Awareness 5K Road Race and Walk to raise money for the disease.

Back in July 2009, Humphrey began to cough up blood. He didn’t think it was anything serious until it became a daily occurrence and decided it was time to see a doctor.

Right around the same time, his wife, Andrea, found out she was pregnant with their first child.

At the time, Ryan was working as a pilot for American Eagle Airlines after he graduated with a bachelor’s degree in Aviation Flight Science from Western Michigan University.

The doctors performed a series of tests when they found a spot on his left lung that needed to be removed. At the time, there was no further area of concern, but it left Ryan unable to fly — so he decided to take on a new challenge of going to medical school.

Ryan continued following up with doctors, but there was no sign of cancer. Right around the time of his second anniversary of being cancer-free, Andrea found out she was pregnant with the couple’s second child.

Things were going great for the couple, as Ryan was preparing to take the MCAT. Ryan described having a chest pain that wouldn’t seem to go away, but that he attributed to anxiety from school. Ryan said he had a cough since the first surgery, which ultimately led him going back to the doctor for further testing.

In April 2012, Ryan had his first CT scan since after the diagnosis and it showed a concerning mass in the left mediastinum. Ryan and his doctors then came up with a plan of attack and began chemotherapy May 10, 2012.

On Monday, Ryan began his 16th round of chemotherapy, which he says hasn’t been too rough on him. He also had his entire left lung removed recently.

Ryan said there has been more than 20 fundraisers for his family in the past year that have helped them out a lot with medical costs. He is grateful for all of the help and he wants to show that to his supporters.

“I want to show them their hard work isn’t going in vain ... I want to show them I want to live,” he said. “... According to the last scan, I don’t have the disease right now, so I am disease free ... People have done so much for us ... I want to do as much as I can.”

Ryan has helped raise money for the cause in the past, and he is hoping that at least 300 people come and join him and his family for the 5K run, which he describes as a “dream” that became reality in just a month.

Ryan says he will be participating, as he as been weightlifting, doing yoga and running.

“There’s an army of people just collecting,” Ryan said. “It’s going to be more of a family event, too. There’s going to be a bounce house for kids, face painting ... a raffle tent and a tribute wall.”

The event will also have a professional photographer that has donated their skills and an official race timing.

FYI

The Angiosarcoma Awareness 5K Road Race and Walk is Saturdayat Troy Athens High School, 4333 John R Road, Troy. Registration begins at 7 a.m. and the race starts at 9 a.m. There is a $30 registration fee to participate, which goes to research for the disease. For more information on how to participate, visit www.troyasa5k.org. To learn more about Ryan Humphrey, his family and ways to donate, visit their family website at nobodyfightsalone.com.

Contact Megan Semeraz at 248-745-4628 or email Megan.Semeraz@oakpress.com or follow her on Twitter @MeganSemeraz.